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Ithaca College To Open Academic Year With Convocation And Community Picnic

ITHACA, NY — Ithaca College will officially welcome some 2,050 incoming students to campus on Monday, Aug. 24, with the annual Convocation ceremony and community picnic. Convocation is slated to begin at 11 a.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium. For the 12th year, the ceremony will be followed by a picnic lunch designed to bring first-year students closer together with faculty, staff and administrators.

President Tom Rochon will deliver the main address. Also offering remarks to the members of the freshman class will be Kathleen Rountree, provost and vice president for academic affairs; C. William Schwab ’68, chair of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees; and Jeffrey Goodwin ’10, president of the Student Government Association.

The five recipients of the 2008–9 Faculty Excellence Awards will also be recognized at the ceremony. The award winners were selected for their innovative teaching, significant scholarly achievements, exemplary service and demonstrated support for key Ithaca College values and initiatives.

The community picnic will take place after Convocation on the academic quad (rain location: Terrace Dining Hall). The event is intended to familiarize the members of the class of 2013 with their new surroundings and to help build a sense of connection and commitment to the college among all its constituencies.